HHS issues proposed contraception coverage rule

WASHINGTON (USA TODAY) -- Women who work for religious-affiliated organizations
can have contraceptive services under their health insurance through
separate coverage while allowing their employers not to violate their
religious beliefs by exempting them from paying for it, according to a
proposed regulation issued Friday by the Department of Health and Human
Services.

Last August, when the government announced that
insurance plans must cover women's contraceptive services with no
co-pays under the 2010 health care law, some employers - churches,
religious schools and hospitals - took issue with being forced to
provide a service that goes against their beliefs.

"Today, the
administration is taking the next step in providing women across the
nation with coverage of recommended preventive care at no cost, while
respecting religious concerns," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a
press statement. "We will continue to work with faith-based
organizations, women's organizations, insurers and others to achieve
these goals."

Under the proposed rule, religious organizations
would inform their insurer of their exemption, and then the insurer
would inform the organization's employees that the insurer would provide
them with no-cost contraceptive coverage through a separate insurance
policy not connected to the religious employer.